US actor Ron Ely, best known as television’s Tarzan has died aged 86.
“The world has lost one of the greatest men it has ever known – and I have lost my dad,” his daughter, Kirsten, confirmed.
Ely first rose to fame in the 1960s after landing the lead role in Tarzan, from 1966 until 1968.
While not quite as well-known as Johnny Weismuller, Ely helped form the image of the shirtless, loincloth-wearing character further immortalised by Disney.
He followed with the lead in Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze in 1975.
Afterwards, Ely featured on Wonder Woman, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island and Superboy.
In 2019, he tragically returned to the news when his 62-year-old wife, Valerie Lundeen Ely, was stabbed to death at their Santa Barbara home by their 30-year-old son, Cameron Ely, who was subsequently shot and killed by police. Ron Ely, who was home during the stabbing, challenged the prosecutor’s report that his son’s shooting was justified.
Source: news.com.au
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